Top 12 Weirdest Things in France You Should Never Known

#1 France is the biggest country of the European Union

With a surface of 633 187 km2, France is the biggest country of the EU, followed by Spain and Sweden.

#2 France is the country with the most time zones in the world

For those of you who didn’t know, France is not only in Europe. There are some overseas territories (départements et territoires d’Outre-Mer) located all over the globe, that are actually administrated by the Metropolis. Consequently, France is on 12 different time zones, which is more than the US (10) and Russia (9).

#3 Speaking of time zones, France still lives on “wartime”

Originally, France’s time zone was the one of London (which, when we look at it geographically makes more sense). During WWII, however, while France was under German Occupation, the German government decided that France would live under German time to make it easier for everyone. Since then, France and Germany have the same time, which is GMT+1 (as well as most Central Europe).

#4 The French Army is the only one in Europe still having travelling pigeons in its ranks

There are currently 150 travelling pigeons in the French army. It is said that in case of “catastrophe majeure” (major disaster) they would be the only efficient way of communication. I guess it’s not wrong… we should implement that in companies for the day that the server is down and emails don’t work anymore.

#5 There are more French speakers in Africa than in Europe

Ironically, French people take pride in their language being the purest in France, but there are actually more French speakers in Africa than in Europe. Currently, 21 African countries have French as their official language. And it so happens that approximately 30 countries and/or entities have French as an official language.

#6 The longest border France shares with another country is with… Brazil

Thanks to French Guiana, a French département located in South America, the longest border that France shares with another country is with Brazil. You weren’t expecting that one, huh?

#7 A trash and an ashtray are considered deadly weapons

Yep, not only smoking kills, but, according to French law, so do ashtrays and even trash cans. Careful when taking out the trash guys!

#8 France has the world record of the number of roundabouts

It is a fact that more than half of the world’s total amount of roundabouts is in France. Also, decorating them has become a national sport, according to Bimbimbikes.

#9 Up until 2012 it was forbidden for women to wear pants in public (unless riding a bike or a horse)

French law is an endless source of funny facts. Turns out that the government “forgot” about this law from 1800 stating that women were not allowed to wear pants in public unless riding a bike or a horse. In 2012, the government annulled this law, making thousands of criminals free of charges.

#10 You can actually marry a dead person if the French President agrees

Okay, it’s not that easy. The dead person you wish to marry needs to have started the paperwork and everything before their death. Then, the French President can allow you to marry them (or not, but that’d be kinda rude, wouldn’t it?). Mostly, this law is used for spouses of soldiers who died at war.
#11 Never put a baguette upside down on the table

It’s never occurred to me that no one else would find it shocking. But seriously, never put a baguette upside down, it’s bad luck. Who said French people are superstitious?

#12 A baguette is not bread

We know that in the English-speaking world, basically any bread resembling a baguette is called a baguette. But please, a baguette is not just any type of bread. According to French law, it needs to be made from only flour, yeast, salt and water.

Also, it cannot weight more than 250g. Traditionally, it is 5cm wide, 3cm high and 65cm long (but who’s counting, right?).

Truth is, we have other words to describe the other types of bread. Thinner than a baguette will be called a ficelle, thicker would be a flûte, longer is just a pain (but it can also mean a round loaf of bread), and bread rolls will be called petits pains. Let’s not talk about how each of them can be rustic, traditional, aux céréales, etc. Basically, bread is more than food, it’s a real cultural thing.

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